Serverless functions can be set on a timer exactly like cron jobs. But you can also set them to act on certain triggers, when a message comes into an SQS queue, when a notification goes to an SNS topic, etc.
You can do the same with a VPS, but I think VPS cost more because you pay for all the time you're not using them. With serverless functions you only pay for execution time. And with one-off, daily, hourly jobs you end up paying far less, unless your jobs are compute intensive (cron jobs tend to not be...?)
I have seen some VPS these days come in at like $2 a month though, so it's worth comparing the cost.
You can do the same with a VPS, but I think VPS cost more because you pay for all the time you're not using them. With serverless functions you only pay for execution time. And with one-off, daily, hourly jobs you end up paying far less, unless your jobs are compute intensive (cron jobs tend to not be...?)
I have seen some VPS these days come in at like $2 a month though, so it's worth comparing the cost.